The present invention relates generally to dispensers for dispensing plastic bags from a roll of plastic bags, as well as to bag dispensing systems in which plastic bags are dispensed from a roll of plastic bags retained in a dispenser especially adapted for dispensing the bags individually from the roll.
In recent years, various systems for dispensing bags have been developed, these systems providing a mechanism for dispensing individual bags from a roll of interconnected bags separated from one another by a line of perforations containing a centrally-located slit. The dispensing system employs a tongue to assist a user in separating the most downstream bag from the next bag on the roll. That is, when the roll of interconnected bags is unrolled so that the slit between two bags snags on the upstanding tongue member, the user continues to pull, causing the upstream bag to be separated from the adjacent downstream bag by tearing across the line of perforations until the bags are completely separated.
Most of these bag dispensing systems have utilized a roll of bags in which the bags are wound around a core, with the ends of the core extending axially from the roll of bags. Most of the various dispensers in the marketplace have guides or channels which confine the axial movement of the roll of bags, in order to retain the roll of bags in the dispenser and to allow the roll of bags to rotate during dispensing of individual bags from the roll. The core is generally a hollow plastic tube having a weight which is only a small fraction of the weight of the full roll of bags on the core.
As a result, when the roll becomes severely depleted of bags, the core tends to jump around in the dispenser channels or guides which otherwise confine the location of the roll of bags. In addition, the light weight and smaller diameter of the depleted roll of bags causes the depleted roll of bags to rotate at a greater rate, also leading to instability of the roll in the dispenser, which can lead to the depleted roll of bags becoming skewed in the channels, and even jumping out of the guide channels or other structure, necessitating reinsertion of the roll in the proper position in the dispenser. The light weight of the depleted roll of bags also reduces the amount of friction between the depleted roll and one or more braking surfaces in contact with the depleted roll. It would be desirable to reduce or eliminate these problems.
Since there are at least two different manufacturers of such rolls of bags in the marketplace today, it has been found that rolls of bags from different manufacturers are interchangeable between dispensers of different brands, which is undesirable because retail stores (providing the bags for the convenience of consumers) lease the dispensers free of charge so long as the bags are purchased from the supplier of the dispensers. It would be desirable to provide a roll of bags which differs from the present rolls, in order to reduce or eliminate the use of bags from one manufacturer in a dispenser provided by another manufacturer.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,666 is directed to a plastic bag roll in which bags are wound on an axle which is axially longer than the roll is wide. It would be desirable to provide a dispensing system which utilizes a roll of plastic bags wound on an axle which is not axially longer than the roll is wide, while at the same time solving the various problems described above.
The present invention effectively solves all of the above-described problems by providing a dispenser with a pivoting arm having an extending member which passes through the roll of bags, in combination with means for limiting the axial movement of the roll of bags when the roll is loaded into the dispenser in a position for bags to be individually dispensed. The limiting of the axial movement can be provided entirely by the structure of the swinging arm itself and fixtures thereon. Alternatively, the dispenser can be provided with features separate from the pivoting arm which can be used to limit the axial movement of the roll of bags once it is in position for dispensing of bags.
Moreover, the bags can be wound on a core which is no longer than the roll is wide. The core can have ends which are flush with the sides of the roll of bags. The design of the dispenser controls the position of the roll of bags even as the roll is severely depleted, preventing the roll of bags from jumping out of position as the last bags are dispensed from the roll. The design of the dispenser also enhances the frictional contact of a severely depleted roll of bags relative to the plastic bag dispensers of the prior art, to prevent undesirable freewheeling until the last bag is dispensed from the roll. Furthermore, a roll of bags having a core having ends flush with the roll of bags provides the additional advantage of eliminating xe2x80x9ctelescopingxe2x80x9d of the roll during shipment. That is, rolls of bags wound on a core with extending ends allows the bags to telescope during shipment, and undesirable effect. The dispensing system of the present invention permits the use of a xe2x80x9cflush core rollxe2x80x9d which can be shipped without telescoping.
As a first aspect, the present invention is directed to a dispenser for serially dispensing plastic bags from a wound roll of plastic bags. The dispenser comprises a support member which is attachable to a support surface, a pivotable arm attached to the support member, the pivotable arm including means for pivoting from a roll-loading position to a bag-dispensing position, means for braking the wound roll of bags to retard freewheeling of the wound roll during dispensing of individual bags, means for limiting axial movement of the roll of bags on the pivotable arm when the pivotable arm is in the bag-dispensing position, and a tongue attached directly or indirectly to the support member, the tongue being positioned for engaging a slit between bags during dispensing of the bags. The pivotable arm has an axial portion having a free end for installation thereon of the wound roll of bags, and a radial portion extending from the support member to the axial portion.
Preferably, the axial portion of the pivotable arm is horizontally positioned. Preferably, the radial portion of the pivotable arm pivots through a vertical plane. Preferably, the angle between the axial portion and the radial portion of the pivotable arm is 90 degrees. Preferably, the axial portion comprises a U-shaped rod, with the width of the xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d being designed to fit within a passageway through the roll of bags and/or through the hollow core on which the bags are wound. In another embodiment, the axial portion of the arm has a sleeve thereon which fits within the hollow core of the roll of bags and which frictionally engages the axial portion of the arm. The axial portion of the arm can also have a weight added thereto, to further stabilize the roll of plastic bags as it becomes depleted. Preferably, the means for pivoting comprises a hinge between the support member and the radial portion of the pivotable arm.
Preferably, the means for limiting the axial movement of the roll of bags on the pivotable arm comprises a side rail attached to the support member, the side rail being on a first side of the dispenser which corresponds with the free end of the axial portion of the pivotable arm. Preferably, the means for limiting the axial movement of the roll of bags on the pivotable arm further comprises a second side rail attached to the support member, wherein the second side rail is on a second side of the dispenser which corresponds with the radial portion of the pivotable arm.
Preferably, the means for braking the wound roll of bags comprises a braking surface in contact with an outer curved surface of the roll of bags when the pivotable arm is in the bag-dispensing position. Preferably, the braking surface comprises a pair of narrow brake plates positioned to contact outer edge regions of the curved outer surface of the cylindrical roll of bags. Preferably, the bags have centrally-positioned printing, with the brake plates sized and positioned to contact only outer edge portions of the outer curved surface of the roll of bags, with the plastic in contact with the print (i.e., plastic having ink transferred from the print) passing between the brake plates, i.e., not contacting the brake plates. Preferably, the narrow brake plates each contact the outer xe2x85x9-inch to 1-inch of the outer curved surface of the cylindrical roll of bags; more preferably, from xc2xc-inch to xc2xe inch; more preferably, about xc2xd-inch.
Alternatively, the means for braking the wound roll of plastic bags can comprise a roll-engaging member which engages the roll of plastic bags and rotates with the roll of plastic bags as the bags are being dispensed. This roll-engaging member is designed to provide rotational friction between itself and the axial portion of the pivotable arm. For example, a braking member of this type would be a cylinder which is sized to fit snugly into a core on which the bags are wound, with the cylinder being in frictional engagement with the axial portion of the pivotable arm.
Preferably, the dispenser is designed to accept and dispense two different kinds of rolls of plastic bags: (1) a roll of plastic bags wound on a core having end portions which extend axially from the wound bags, as well as (2) a roll of plastic bags wound on a core having ends which are flush with side surfaces of the wound roll of bags. In addition, the dispenser can be designed to accept and dispense a roll of plastic bags wound on a core having one end which is flush with a side of the roll of bags, and a second end which extends axially from the roll of bags. In each instance, the roll of plastic bags is preferably of xe2x80x9cstandard widthxe2x80x9d used commercially. Currently, that width is about 3xc2xe inches.
Preferably, the tongue is a double tongue mounted on a tongue support member, with the tongue support member being directly or indirectly attached to the support member. Preferably, the double tongue has an upper tongue extending above the tongue support member, and a lower tongue extending below the tongue support member. The upper tongue is used, for example, when a consumer reaches upward to pull a bag from a dispenser mounted overhead, such as along the top of a produce case in a supermarket. The lower tongue is used, for example, when a consumer reaches downward to obtain a bag from a dispenser mounted in a relatively low position, for example along a candy counter in a supermarket or other store.
Preferably, the dispenser comprises an open wire structure. Preferably, the dispenser comprises stainless steel, and preferably the open wire structure comprises wire made from stainless steel.
As a second aspect, the present invention is directed to a bag dispensing system comprising a roll of individual interconnected plastic bags, the roll of bags having an axial passageway therethrough, and a dispenser in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention. Preferred dispensing systems utilize a preferred dispenser in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention. Although the wound roll of plastic bags can be coreless, preferably it has a core; the core can be flush with the sides of the roll of plastic bags, extending from each side of the roll of plastic bags, or flush with one side of the roll of plastic bags while extending from the other side of the roll of plastic bags.
Preferably, the plastic bags are folded so that they have a total of eight plies, with the bag having a seal star seal thereacross. The bags can be lay-flat end-seal bags, side-gusseted bags, or bottom-gusseted bags, or even other bags as described herein. Although the bags could comprise any one or more thermoplastic polymers, preferred polymers include polypropylene, polyethylene homopolymer, polyethylene copolymer, and polystyrene. More preferably, the bags comprise high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), very low density polyethylene (VLDPE), and single site catalyzed polymers (preferably linear homogeneous ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer or substantially linear homogeneous ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer having long chain branching). Preferably, the bags are made from a 100% HDPE. Alternatively, preferred blends include blends of HDPE with LLDPE (5-20 weight percent) and HDPE with LDPE (5-20 weight percent).
Preferably, each of the bags has at least 4 contiguous plies; more preferably, at least 6 contiguous plies; still more preferably, at least 8 contiguous plies. Preferably, each of the bags is an end-seal bag in the sense that the bottom seal is across the bag. Preferably, each of the bags has a star seal and at least 8 contiguous plies.
Although the bag may be made from a monolayer film or a multilayer film, preferably the bag is made from a monolayer film. Although any thermoplastic, film-forming polymer may be used for the bag, preferred polymers include polypropylene, polyethylene homopolymer, polyethylene copolymer, polystyrene, polyamide, and polyester. More preferably, the bags comprise high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), very low density polyethylene (VLDPE), and single site catalyzed polymers (preferably linear homogeneous ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer or substantially linear homogeneous ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer having long chain branching). Preferably, the bags are made from a 100% HDPE. Other preferred polymers include polypropylene, low density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene, very low density polyethylene, and single site catalyzed (preferably linear homogeneous ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer or substantially linear homogeneous ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer having long chain branching. Preferred polymer blends include blends of HDPE with LLDPE (5-20 weight percent) and HDPE with LDPE (5-20 weight percent). HDPE is the preferred polymer for use in making the bag film.
Preferably, the film from which the bag is made is a monolayer film. Preferably, the film has a thickness of from 0.1 to 3; more preferably, 0.2 to 1.5 mils; and still more preferably, about 0.3 mil.
The bag in the open position, i.e., when in use, may vary in lay-flat width but is about 14 inches wide lay-flat. Preferably, the bags on the roll are folded so that they each have a width of from about 1 to 7 inches; more preferably, from about 3 to 6 inches; still more preferably, from about 3 to 5 inches; yet still more preferably, about 3xc2xe inches. Preferably, the axle is at about 1xc2xd inches longer than the width of the roll.
Preferably, the roll of plastic bags is on an axle. Although the axle can be solid or hollow, preferably the axle is hollow. Preferably, the axle is longer than the roll is wide. Preferably, the core has a width of from about 2 inches to about 8 inches; more preferably, from about 4 to 6 inches; still more preferably, from about 4 to 5xc2xd; yet still more preferably, about 5xc2xc inches. Preferably, the axle is at about 1xc2xd inches longer than the width of the roll. Alternatively, the roll of bags can be coreless, with either a hollow center or as a cylindrical roll without a hollow center.
Preferably, the film from which the bags are made is corona treated for ease of separation of the various plies.